Latest news with #AndrewGiles
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
How another Labor immigration blunder has allowed a vile child sex offender to remain in Australia
The Albanese government took too long to scrap the visa of a migrant who performed an indecent act in front of a child, so he can stay in Australia, a court has ruled. The Federal Court decision is the latest in a string of immigration policy blunders to weigh on the party since 2023 - causing ex-Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to be demoted - though it seems it didn't harm Labor's performance at the March election. Federal Court judge Christopher Horan found a decision to deport the man, known as XMBQ, was unlawful because there was an 'unreasonable' delay between the appeals tribunal deciding the man could stay and termination of his visa. The ruling, first reported by The Australian, could set a precedent requiring immigration ministers to make decisions within a particular timeframe. Giles - now replaced by Tony Burke - previously came under fire for being caught off guard by the High Court's ruling in November 2023 that indefinite immigration detention was illegal, resulting in the release of more than a hundred criminals. Later, he was criticised over his Ministerial guideline, known as Direction 99, that stated a migrant's family connections to Australia and how long they have lived here should be considered in potential deportation cases, despite a criminal's rap sheet. Giles moved to cancel dozens of visas after it emerged that violent offenders were using the measure to avoid deportation. In the latest case XMBQ, a Somali man, had convictions for kicking a police officer in the face and performing a sex act in front of a 29-year-old woman and a 13-year-old girl on public transport. Lawyers for XMBQ challenged whether the former Immigration Minister's intervention in his case was legal. Giles cancelled the Somali man's visa on June 8, 2024 after the Administrative Appeals Tribunal decided he should be allowed to stay in April 2021. Justice Horan said the delay between the appeal and Giles's decision was far too long, ruling in the favour of XMBQ. 'If the minister is to exercise the power to set aside the original decision and cancel the visa, the minister must do so within a reasonable time,' the judgment said. 'Otherwise, the connection with the original decision as the object of the power will be lost, and it can no longer be said that the minister is addressing or responding to the state of affairs produced by or resulting from the original decision.' Immigration law specialist Simon Jeans said that although Giles had the power to cancel this visa it 'was a risk' and a 'decision [made] in haste' as he was under pressure to save his job. He suggested it would have been less risky for the Immigration Department to cancel XMBQ's visa rather than the minister intervening. XMBQ was born in Somalia in the 1960s before fleeing to Lebanon in 1993. He arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2004. XMBQ was placed on the sex offenders register for 15 years after pleading guilty to the public exposure charges in June 2017. In December 2017, his visa was cancelled by a delegate of the immigration minister but this was later overturned in the Federal Court. Lawyers for the man claimed Giles's decision to cancel his visa had been impacted by XMBQ being charged with two counts of rape, although he was not convicted. Justice Horan rejected this claim. The Albanese government and Mr Giles suffered a similar blow in January this year when a Bhutan-born man who attacked his wife with a meat cleaver was allowed to remain in Australia by the Federal Court. It ruled Mr Giles had made multiple 'jurisdictional errors' by overturning an appeals decision that the man could remain in Australia, because he did not consider the effect of deportation on his children and his stateless person status.
Sky News AU
22-04-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
Federal Election 2025: Labor promises new Advanced Entry Trades Training program helping 6,000 tradies, rivalling Coalition's pledge
The Albanese government has promised to upskill tradies in a bid to fast track the mountain amount of homes Labor plan to build within five years. Labor plans to establish a new Advanced Entry Trades Training program from 2026 to help 6,000 unqualified workers get official qualification, the Daily Telegraph reports. The program will assess participants' existing skills and then provide additional training at TAFEs and other high quality registered training organisations, in a pledge to fast-track skilled workers. This is part of Labor's plan to boost housing supply amid an affordability crisis and meet their goal to build 1.2 million new homes within five years. On top of lofty housing goals the government has committed to constructing 100,000 homes exclusively for first-home buyers who can lay down a 5 per cent deposit, if they get re-elected in May. 'Apprenticeship pathways are a key contributor to the workforce – but for adult workers, particularly those supporting a family, the thought of 'restarting' their career with an apprenticeship is a barrier to getting qualified in their trade,' Skills and Training Minister Andrew Giles said. 'We are making it easier for workers with existing knowledge and skills to get the recognition and qualifications they deserve.' The program will be modelled like an already established New South Wales program, which has seen more than 1,200 students gain trade qualifications in an average time of seven months, rather than several years. A total of $78 million will be invested into the program over six years with residential housing and civil construction trades to be included in the program due to the crucial role they play in housing development. For every new qualified tradesman, an additional 2.4 houses will be built each year, according to Master Builders Australia. 'We have a $43 billion plan to construct more homes around the country and our investments in skills and training are playing an important role in putting that plan into action,' Treasurer Jim Chalmers said. The Coalition has also pledged a flurry of investments in trades, promising to build 12 new technical colleges across Australia worth $260 million and increase the number of apprentices and trainees to 400,000. On top of that small businesses and tradies will be able to instantly write off at least $20,000 in expenses, while small and medium businesses have been incentivised to take on new apprentices in critical trades with $12,000 payments.
The Guardian
09-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Labor was warned its perceived ‘one-sided' Israel support over Gaza raised social cohesion concerns
The home affairs department warned the government as early as November 2023 that its perceived one-sidedness in support of Israel during the Gaza conflict left Palestinian and Muslim Australians feeling 'extremely angry' and 'betrayed' , as well as concerned about social cohesion, documents reveal. A November 2023 briefing document to the then immigration minister, Andrew Giles, was obtained by Guardian Australia under freedom of information laws. It discussed 'social cohesion measures', including a $25m package announced in October 2023 to strengthen resilience and improve support to Australian Palestinian, Muslim and other communities in Australia after the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war waged by Israel in Gaza. A total of $52.8m had been approved for social cohesion measures relating to the conflict, according to the document. On the perception of the government at that time, the Department of Home Affairs told the minister that Palestinian and Muslim communities were 'feeling extremely angry, hurt, and betrayed by the perceived one-sided government messaging and lack of support for Palestinians in Gaza, and for Australian communities'. The department said community members were traumatised by the conflict, distressed about the welfare of those in Gaza, and felt that 'statements from senior leaders are undoing previous progress on improving social cohesion'. Communities had called for 'more balanced statements from the government' amid fear about increased Islamophobia and hate speech, the department advised, and the response to the funding announcement had been lukewarm. The brief stated that Jewish communities were appreciative of the funding announcements but were concerned the package's funding would not be accessible to all Jewish Australian communities, and feared for their safety and instances of antisemitism. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email A total of $7m of the package to support Palestinian and Muslim communities was set aside for media organisations, with AAP and SBS given $3m in funding to combat misinformation and disinformation about the war. This funding was scrutinised in mid-2024 in Senate estimates, and Palestinian groups expressed frustration at the partial reallocation, given another $25m in funding had gone directly to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. The 2023 briefing document cited the 'significant media interest' in the conflict and its impacts in Australia, and stated that the funding rationale was based on community concern about 'misleading, divisive and insensitive' coverage. 'There is significant media interest in the Hamas-Israel conflict, including how its impacts are being felt and played out in the domestic setting and government's response,' the department stated. 'Communities have reported that statements from public leaders have polarised public debate, exacerbated tensions, and decreased impacted communities' sense of belonging.' Home Affairs was cognisant of the potential issues involved in Australia's security department becoming involved in media factchecking through funding, noting that the department 'could be criticised for impinging on the editorial independence of' both AAP and SBS and be perceived as 'censoring public debate and discussion or political opinions'. The department had previously faced criticism from the right, including politicians such as Liberal Alex Antic, for making over 500 requests to social media companies to take down misinformation and disinformation related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Its advice highlighted that the grant guidelines under the funding package highlighted both agencies' editorial independence, and the department 'will not and cannot seek to influence editorial decisions'. When asked about the department's decision to divert some funding to media organisations, rather then entirely to the community directly, the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, told Guardian Australia: 'There are serious challenges at the moment in making sure the government supports communities through an extraordinarily difficult time. I'm focused on that and I'm continuing to consult with the relevant groups.' In the past 18 months, the opposition has criticised the Albanese governmentover its response to rising incidents of antisemitism in Australia. It has accused Labor of failing to offer appropriate support to Israel in the region, including after Australia split with the US in a December vote at the UN that called on the end of Israel's 'unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible'.
